National Pizza Day is February 9th!
National Pizza Day is celebrated annually on February 9th.
Almost everyone around the world enjoys pizza.
Who would have though that such a simple dish made with dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and a choice of toppings would be so popular?
Many organizations celebrate National Pizza Day by having pizza parties at work.
We think it's the perfect reason to have a recognition event!
Show Appreciation and Drive Engagement on National Pizza Day
Make Pizza the excuse for your next recognition or engagement event
Adding informal recognition and engagement events to the mix is a great way to increase the frequency of your recognition events without breaking the budget!
National Pizza Day is one of the most popular days that managers and HR departments use to initiate a less formal time to get employees engaged and to say thanks.
It’s a great way to get employees talking about their projects, programs, and upcoming work events in a relaxed atmosphere. Informal events promote dialog. It’s a perfect time for recognition and the informal nature often makes it more comfortable for those receiving recognition.
Planning a Pizza Day for your team is straightforward, but here are a few thoughts to consider:
Make sure it happens!
Make sure all desired managers and groups across the organization have the opportunity to participate.
- Add it to manager and group leaders calendars
- Send cards to pay for the pizza. Include gift cards for local and national brands pizza – Visa is a great make sure everyone get’s the pizza they love.
Include remote & onsite workers
Order pizza for the onsite party with plenty of advance notice, along with plates and drinks.
Include remote workers in your National Pizza Day party through an online meeting.
- Give them their choice of Pizza, Door Dash, Grub Hub, and Uber Eats cards.
- Don’t forget to support local pizza joints with local gift cards or Visa.
Add an additional element of fun
- A contest for the picture of the most outlandish topping combination
- Hold a pizza trivia contest (see history below)
- Have employees share their pizza choice
Send Pizza to Virtual Staff
Give remote workers plenty of advance notice and automate the sending of the pizza of their choice. Track redemption progress so you can make sure everyone gets to participate.
There are plenty of choices to make sure your remote staff get the pizza they want delivered right to their home before the meeting.
- Local Merchant Cards, including local pizza places
- National pizza chain cards
- Food delivery service cards; GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats
- Payments via Visa/Mastercard, and payment providers
Send remote staff a choice of cards from local and national options with instructions to have the pizza delivered half an hour before the meeting start time.
It's not the Pizza!
Pizza alone is not a substitute for noteworthy forms of recognition
- It is an opportunity to express gratitude whether verbal or monetary
- Make sure your recognition matches the reason – Pizza isn’t the reward
How much?
Make sure to include enough for tips and drinks! Budget $35 to $50 each.
We can help you set up the whole process from sending pizza to remote employees, to sending rewards and incentives to make your recognition memorable.
Did you know you can send Local pizza?
Why not “Buy Local” Pizza on National Pizza Day?
TruCentive’s Merchant Gift Cards by Square lets you “Go Local” so employees can show support for their local communities – while you show support for them!
Offer a choice of gift cards for local pizza restaurants – or use DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats for local deliveries.
Ideas for Recognition
Remember that the focus is on recognition – not pizza
Celebrate significant milestones and recognize individual folks publicly. National Pizza Day is great, but the focus is on recognition.
- Years of service anniversary
- Individual achievements
- Training & educational attainment
- Birthdays
Commemorate important company milestones and recognize the contributions of the entire team.
- Company anniversaries
- Business Metrics
- Revenue goals
- Development goals
- Customer satisfaction
- Trouble tickets cleared
Pizza has a long history
The origins of pizza can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where various wheat flatbreads had ingredients such as cheese, oil, and spices as toppings.
These early pizzas were quite different from the pizzas we know today, but they were a precursor to the modern pizza.
Pizza can be traced back to Italy, Egypt and Rome. Pizza became especially popular throughout Italy.
Naples is universally accepted as the birthplace of the modern pizza.
The actual claim of “first pizza” varies. One of oldest pizzerias in the world is thought to be the Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in Naples, having begun in 1738 as a peddler’s stand.
Modern pizza history began to take shape in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when tomatoes were added to the mix of ingredients. Modern pizza is made with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. The first documented pizzaiolo (pizza maker) was a man named Raffaele Esposito, who created a pizza featuring tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in honor of Queen Margherita in 1889. This pizza, known as the “Margherita,” is still popular today and is considered a classic pizza.
Pizza gained even more popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after being brought to other parts of Europe and the United States. Today, pizza is considered one of the most popular foods in the world and is enjoyed around the globe.
Pizza made its way to New York in the United States through Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and quickly became a popular and favorite dish.
Pizza has a strong cultural and social aspect. It is often associated with gatherings and celebrations, and many people enjoy the social aspect of sharing a pizza with friends and family.
National Pizza Day was first celebrated in about 2000, but it is not clear who started it.
Pizza facts:
- February 9th is National Pizza Day and October is National Pizza Month in the United States.
- Americans eat an average of 46 slices of pizza per person per year. This amounts to around 23 pounds of pizza per person per year.
- The most popular topping in the United States is pepperoni, followed by mushroom and sausage.
- There are over 60,000 pizzerias in the United States.
- The first pizzeria in the United States was opened by Gennaro Lombardi in New York City in 1895.
- Pizza is global phenomenon, enjoyed in many countries, with each country having its own unique twist on the classic dish.
- The word "pizza" is thought to come from the Latin word "pinsa," which means "flatbread."
- In Italy, it is customary to eat pizza with a knife and fork.
- The most expensive pizza in the world is the "Louis XIII" pizza, made with three types of caviar, lobster, and other luxury ingredients. Available at the Renato Viola restaurant in Salerno, Italy for $12,000.
- The world's largest pizza was made in Rome, Italy in 2012. It measured 122.47 feet in diameter and was made using over 9,000 pounds of flour, 3,527 pounds of tomato sauce, and 4,409 pounds of mozzarella cheese.
Give fantastic local incentives and rewards – (and you keep 100% of the value of unclaimed incentives)
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